Snow throwers



May 31, 1966 J. HAIBAN 3,253,356

SNOW THROWERS Filed June 19, 1962 INVENTOR.

Joseph Hobon BY K Attorney United States Patent 3,253,356 SNOW THROWERS Joseph Haban, Mound and Marquette Sts., Racine, Wis. Filed June 19, 1962, Ser. No. 203,606 5 3 Claims. (Cl. 37-43) This invention relates to throwers.

Heretofore, snow throwers have had spiral auger blades supported on a rather small diameter central shaft of approximately two inches for a twelve-inch diameter housing. The small central shaft was considered desirable practice in order to give the device maximum capacity. With these prior constructions, however, snow tends to build up on the central auger supporting shaft, eventually freezing thereon, and frequently resulting in uneven distribution, and causing an objectionable out- 0f-balance condition which results in wear on the parts and excessive vibration. In conventional snow throwers another problem has been'that too much snow is carried over by the thrower blades past the discharge chute opening, thereby cutting down on the efliciency of discharge.

It is a general object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned objections and to provide a high capacity, high velocity snow thrower which minimizes the possibility of snow freezing on the auger shaft, and which provides for an efficient discharge of snow into the discharge chute opening with a minimum of carryover.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a snow thrower having a central auger shaft which is of relatively large diameter with respect to the diameter of the auger housing to provide relatively high centrifugal action on the periphery of the shaft to more thoroughly dislodge snow therefrom by centrifugal force and thereby prevent buildup on the anger with resulting clogging of the auger housing. Heretofore, such a large central auger shaft was considered undesirable on the theory that it would interfere with the capacity of the device bytaking up too much room. With the present invention, however, it has been found that by having a central shaft which continually clears itself, great efficiencies result, and it has also been found that the only portion of the auger blade which does the actual work is near the outer periphery. Thus the wide auger blade heretofore considered desirable is actually an undesirable feature.

It was also found that by having a substantial part of the auger housing occupied by the central shaft, there is less tendency, when pushing into a drift, to overload the device. As a result, the snow thrower can be operated efficiently with less horsepower. In addition, by narrowing down the peripheral space within the auger housing there is a more efiicient discharge throw and suction effect at the discharge opening whereby the device works better on light, fluffy snow.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement for the discharge pipe and discharge opening, in conjunction with the position of the thrower blades, to provide for more efficient discharge and to minimize the carryover of snow past the discharge opening.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved snow thrower having means for protecting the improvements in snow auger from objects encountered when pushing the device into a drift. With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved snow thrower, and all of its parts and combinations, as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

Inthe accompanying drawing, illustrating one comice in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved snow thrower; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken approximately on the line 22 of FIG. 1, with the discharge chute turned toward the front.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the improved snow thrower is illustrated in the form of an attachment which can be connected to a small tractor in a manner well understood in the art. It may, however, be a permanent part of the tractor. The device includes an auger housing 5 having an arcuate'back wall 6 with a lower edge scraper blade 7, and having end header members 8. Suitably supported for rotation within the housing 5 and between the headers is a relatively large central tube 9 forming a supporting shaft for the auger blades 10 and 10, one of said auger blades being a right hand thread and the other a left hand thread, and there being peripherally spaced thrower blades 11 between the auger blades 10 and 10'.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the auger blades are in the form of a double spiral on each side of the center. The augers 4 and 4 both deliver snow to the thrower 11 which is at the bottom of FIG. 1 and the augers 10 and 111' both deliver snow to the other thrower 11 which is at the top in FIG. 1.

The auger shaft 9 is adapted to be driven in any suitable manner, such as from a power takeoff on the tractor or by a separate motor at a speed of between 800 and 1000 rpm.

At the upper rear portion of the wall 6, midway of its length, is a discharge opening 12 which extends from point 13 on an approximately horizontal transverse center line upwardly and forwardly, terminating short of the extreme top of the housing. A discharge outlet pipe 14 is specially positioned somewhat rearwardly of a normal location, whereby the center line (a) of the pipe 14 is close to the tip of a thrower blade 11 when one of saidblades is in the position of FIG. 2. With this arrangement, snow thrown upwardly by the blade 11 has less friction with the wall of the pipe 14 and with the wall of the deflector 15, the latter being mounted for swiveling movement on the upper end of the pipe 14. It is also to be noted that the thrower blades are non-radial with respect to the center of the auger shaft 9. The arrangement is such that the top faces of the blades 11 face the discharge opening for a relatively long period of time during rotation toward the opening so that the maximum amount of snow is thrown in the direction of the discharge opening 12, and so that a minimum of-snow is carried around past the discharge opening. In this way there is greater efficiency of discharge.

It is to be noted from FIG. 2 that the outer edges of the thrower blades 11 travel close to the arcuate back wall of the auger housing 6. The discharge duct 14 has a rear wall portion which is upright, and the lower end of which is adjacent the lowermost marginal portion 13 of the discharge opening 12. By beingoffset rearwardly as shown in FIG. 2, from both the tips of the thrower blades and the marginal portion 13, the blades tend to throw snow along the line (a)(a), and the snow which is moving upwardly in contact with the lower portion of the arcuate wall 6 of the housing is suddenly relieved from friction with this back wall and, due to the rearward offset of the rear wall portion 14 of the outlet duct, continues its upward movement without substantial contact with said rearwardly-offset rear wall portion. In this way friction during discharge is minimized and efficiency of snow discharge is increased.

In addition, there is less plugging of the discharge conduit portion 14 and the snow is thrown a greater distance from the machine. With the present improved construction the above described action is substantially improved by having a downwardly-facing opening 13' as shown in FIG. 2, between the lower end of the rearwardly-offset back wall portion of the discharge duct 14 and point 13. With the blades 11 moving at high speed in a counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 2, a suction effect is created at the opening to the rear of point 13 so that a column of air under pressure and at high velocity enters the adjacent opening and travels upwardly along the back wall portion of the discharge duct 14. This column of air further minimizes the possibility of snow contacting this back wall and aids in moving the snow freely upwardly.

An important feature of the invention resides in the use of the large diameter auger shaft 9. The diameter of the shaft 9 should be preferably approximately onehalf of the housing diameter (b) and may be in the range of one-third to three-quarters of said diameter of (11). In a typical installation, a shaft 9 having a diameter of 8 inches operates very successfully in an auger housing having a diameter of 16 inches. By having the relatively large central shaft 9, the peripheral space for accommodating the auger blades and 10 is, of course, cut down. It has been found, however, that this functions better than the conventional broad blades mounted on a relatively small central shaft, and it has been found that there is less tendency to clog, as the outer portions of the blades do the active work.

In operation, when the auger is rotated and when the device is pushed along the road, the spiral blades 4 and 4' and 1t) and 10 will continually feed the snow toward the thrower blades at the center. Due to the large diameter of the central shaft 9, the periphery of said shaft will be moving at relatively high speed to constantly dislodge snow by the action of centrifugal force, the rpm. of the auger shaft being high enough to cause said centrifugal action. As the snow is fed toward the central thrower blades 11, the latter, due to their non-radial position, as shown in FIG. 2, will start directing the snow toward the discharge opening 12 well in advance of arriving at the discharge opening, and will continue to direct snow upwardly into the discharge opening until the blades have practically left the discharge area. With this arrangement, there is arelatively small carryover of snow and very efficient discharge. In addition, due to the rearwardly offset position of the discharge pipe 14, the tips of the blades 11 tend to throw the snow upwardly more through the center of the pipe 14, to minimize friction against the walls of the pipe 14. The large diameter of the auger shaft makes it possible to have a substantial backward angling of the thrower blades, as illustrated, whereby said blades may face the discharge opening for a relatively long period of time during rotation.

When pushing the snow thrower into a high drift, hidden objects are frequently encountered which cause damage to the auger blades. By having the bumper 16, such damage is prevented.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all said changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a snow thrower having an auger housing with an open front for receiving snow and with an arcuate back wall having a discharge opening in its upper portion beginning intermediate the height of the housing and continuing upwardly a substantial distance toward the top of the hous'mg, there being an auger shaft mounted in said housing to extend longitudinally thereof and mounted for rotation and having auger blades thereon for delivering snow to the region of said discharge opening, thrower blades projecting from said auger shaft and positioned to direct snow upwardly on said arcuate back wall and through said discharge opening when the auger shaft is rotated in a direction to cause such movement, said blades having tips which travel close to said arcuate back wall, and a discharge duct communicating with said discharge opening and projecting upwardly from said arcuate wall of the housing and having a rear wall portion which is upright and the lower end of which is adjacent the location on the' arcuate back wall where there is the lowermost marginal portion of the discharge opening, said back wall portion of the discharge duct being offset rearwardly a substantial distance beyond said tips of said thrower blades and beyond said arcuate wall whereby said thrower blades tend to throw snow through the central portion of the discharge duct and whereby snow which is being moved up along the lower portion of the arcuate back wall of the housing is thereafter thrown by the thrower blades upwardly into the discharge opening to continue its movement devoid of any substantial contact with said rearwardly-offset rear upright portion of the discharge duct whereby friction is minimized and efficiency of snow discharge substantially increased.

2. In a snow thrower having an auger housing with an open front for receiving snow and with an arcuate back wall having a discharge opening in its upper portion beginning intermediate the height of the housing and continuing upwardly a substantial distance toward the top of the housing, there being an auger shaft mounted in said housing to extend longitudinally thereof and mounted for rotation and having auger blades thereon for delivering snow to the region of said discharge opening, thrower blades projecting from said auger shaft and positioned to direct snow upwardly on said arcuate back wall and through said discharge opening when the auger shaft is rotated in a direction to cause such movement, said blades having tips which travel close to said arcuate back wall, and a discharge duct communicating with said discharge opening and projecting upwardly from said arcuate wall of the housing and having a rear wall portion which is upright and the lower end of which is adjacent the location on the arcuate back wall where there is the lowermost marginal portion of the discharge opening, said back wall portion of the discharge duct being offset rearwardly a substantial distance beyond said tips of said thrower blades and beyond said arcuate wall whereby said thrower blades tend to throw snow through the central portion of the discharge duct and whereby snow which is being moved up along the lower portion of the arcuate back wall of the housing is thereafter thrown by the thrower blades upwardly into the discharge opening to continue its movement devoid of any substantial contact with said rearwardly-offset rear upright portion of the discharge duct whereby friction is minimized and efficiency of snow discharge substantially increased, there being a downwardly-facing opening between the lower end of said rearwardlypflset back wall portion of the discharge duct and the arcuate back wall of the auger housing to provide for the entrance of alr under pressure at high velocity to minimize the possibility of snow contacting said upright rear wall portion of the discharge duct.

3. In a snow thrower having an auger housing with an open front for receiving snow and with an arcuate back wall having a discharge opening in its upper portion beginning intermediate the height of the housing and continuing upwardly a substantial distance toward the top of the housing, there being an auger shaft mounted in said housing to extend longitudinally thereof and mounted for rotation and having auger blades thereon for delivering snow to the region of said discharge opening, thrower blades projecting from said auger shaft and positioned to direct snow upwardly on said arcuate back wall and through said discharge opening when the auger shaft is rotated in a direction to cause such movement, said blades having tips which tr-avel close to said arcuate back wall, and a discharge duct communicating with said discharge opening and projecting upwardly from said arcuate wall of the housing and having a rear wall portion which is upright and the lower end of which is adjacent the location on the arcuate back wall where there is the lowermost marginal portion of the discharge opening, said back wall portion of the discharge duct being offset rearwardly a substantial distance beyond said tips of said thrower blades and beyond said arcuate wall whereby said thrower blades tend to throw snow through the central portion of the discharge duct and whereby snow which is being moved up along the lower portion of the arcuate back wall of the housing is thereafter thrown by the thrower blades upwardly into the discharge opening to continue its movement devoid of any substantial contact with said rearwardly-offset rear upright portion of the discharge duct whereby friction is minimized and eificiency of snow discharge substantially increased, said thrower blades having throwing faces which are angled backwardly with respect to the direction of rotation from a radial position with respect to the auger shaft whereby said throwing faces direct snow in an upward direction for a relatively long portion of their circle of movement to effect eflicient discharge with a minimum amount of snow being carried past the discharge opening.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,198,237 4/1940 Voorder-man 37-43 2,387,423 10/ 1945 Venable 37-43 2,618,872 11/1952 Gillies 37-43 2,632,263 3/ 1953 Cooper 37-43 2,768,453 10/ 1956 Adams 37-43 3,055,127 9/1962 Williamson 37-43 3,095,985 7/1963 Buschbom 30256 FOREIGN PATENTS 482,078 3/ 1952 Canada. 517,479 10/ 1955 Canada.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT C. RIORDON, BENJAMIN HERSH,

BENJAMIN BENDETT, Examiners.

W. B. STONE, G. T. MOLLER, S. J. NOVOSAD,

F. B. HENRY, Assistant Examiners. 

1. IN A SNOW THROWER HAVING AN AUGER HOUSING WITH AN OPEN FRONT FOR RECEIVING SNOW AND WITH AN ARCUATE BACK WALL HAVING A DISCHARGE OPENING IN ITS UPPER PORTION BEGINNING INTERMEDIATE THE HEIGHT OF THE HOUSING AND CONTINUING UPWARDLY A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE TOWARD THE TOP OF THE HOUSING, THERE BEING AN AUGER SHAFT MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING TO EXTEND LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF AND MOUNTED FOR ROTATION AND HAVING AUGER BLADES THEREON FOR DELIVERING SNOW TO THE REGION OF SAID DISCHARGE OPENING, THROWER BLADES PROJECTING FROM SAID AUGER SHAFT AND POSITIONED TO DIRECT SNOW UPWARDLY ON SAID ARCUATE BACK WALL AND THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING WHEN THE AUGER SHAFT IS ROTATED IN A DIRECTION TO CAUSE SUCH MOVEMENT, SAID BLADES HAVING TIPS WHICH TRAVEL CLOSE TO SAID ARCUATE BACK WALL, AND A DISCHARGE DUCT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID ARCUATE WALL OF THE HOUSING AND HAVING A REAR WALL PORTION WHICH IS UPRIGHT AND THE LOWER END OF WHICH IS ADJACENT THE LOCATION ON THE ARCUATE BACK WALL WHERE THERE IS THE LOWERMOST MARGINAL PORTION OF THE DISCHARGE OPENING, SAID BACK WALL PORTION OF THE DISCHARGE DUCT BEING OFFSET REARWARDLY A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE BEYOND SAID TIPS OF SAID THROWER BLADES AND BEYOND SAID ARCUATE 